Leaving a Legacy

In today’s competitive funding environment, establishing and maintaining a solid financial base for future operations is becoming increasingly challenging. Remembering your Church in your Will is a very effective way of ensuring St Stephen’s can continue to grow and meet people’s needs beyond your lifetime.What is a Will?A Will is a statement of how you want your possessions, property, and money distributed when you die. It is a legal directive to your trustees about how your assets should be distributed. It also includes details of how you want your dependents to be looked after. It can remove a considerable amount of financial and emotional strain on your family after your death, and help minimise the likelihood of disputes about your estate. Who Should Make a Will?Everyone over 20 years of age - especially those who have accumulated assets.Why Should I Make a Will?It will give you peace of mind. By making a Will you ensure your wishes are met in relation to the distribution of your assets. It's the last opportunity we all have to express our appreciation and love to our family members and our preferred charities. If a person does not leave a Will, they run the risk of having their estate incur significant legal expense together with confusion and misunderstanding over their intentions. It may result in the total of your lifetime’s endeavours being left to the Government by default!How Do I Make a Will?By consulting a solicitor, the Public Trust Office or a trustee company such as the Guardian Trust. Professional help will maximise the amount your beneficiaries receive and avoid pitfalls that could cause unnecessary expense. A Will is a legal document that helps safeguard the future of your family and loved ones.How Often Should I Change or Review My Existing Will?You can review and update your Will at any time. It is recommended you review your Will every 5-7 years. It should be updated in the event of any change in circumstances or relationships e.g. marriages, births, ill-health, deaths etc. When reviewing your Will, you have the opportunity to consider making a bequest to St. Stephen’s Church and other charities you would like to remember.What is a Bequest?It is a provision in a Will to donate to a charitable cause. This enables the gifting of property, chattels or cash from your estate to a worthy charity. A bequest is a common form of providing the ultimate gift for a cause that you support and wish to acknowledge your involvement with and safeguard its future.Why Make a Bequest to St Stephen’s Church?Because St. Stephen’s needs your support. We will shortly have new buildings but for the church to develop and meet the needs of future generations, it must grow its ministry and outreach. It must provide facilities and programmes that encourage and excite our youth so that God’s word can continue to give hope and encouragement to future generations. The Church has survived 2000 years. It has survived through some tough times and today’s generations have provided some particular challenges. To ensure future generations know the love and peace available through our Lord, St. Stephen’s needs all the support it can get.What Do I Need To Do In Order To Make a Bequest?If you have a Will, you need to make an amendment called a codicil. You do not necessarily need a new or rewritten Will. You should contact your solicitor, or person who handles your legal affairs, and they will advise you. A bequest that is not in your Will or codicil is unlikely to be valid. What Should I Leave in my Bequest?It may take the form of cash, shares, art, jewellery etc or a gift of land or property from your estate. However it must be realised that any assets are really only of value to the church if they can be converted into cash. As future values, inflation etc are unknown, any cash gift is probably best expressed as a percentage of the net realisable proceeds of your estate, rather than specifying a fixed sum in today’s dollars. For example a gift of 5% of your estate will maintain its relative value whenever your estate is settled.What Would St Stephen’s Use My Bequest For?It is preferable that your gift be for “general purposes”. This gives the leaders of the church at that time the discretion to use the gift to the best advantage. Gifts left for specific purposes or programmes can sometimes cause problems. Programmes which are popular today may change or evolve in the future.By leaving a bequest in your Will, you will ensure that St. Stephen’s will remain a vibrant and living church and will continue to achieve its aims for the benefit of future generations. We come together for worship, to study God's Word, to pray and to find friendship & support, as we seek to live out our Christian faith.

We aim : to bring people to Jesus and membership of his church family; to help our members develop to Christian maturity; to equip ourselves for ministry in the church and our mission outside.Do you want to know if I have remembered St Stephen’s in my Will?Yes, we would like to acknowledge your generosity and keep you at the forefront of our plans and dreams. You are the people who we know have an interest in our future. If you would like to discuss your intentions in complete confidence with us, we would be happy to come and meet with you and talk about the benefits your bequest will bring in the future. Please contact the Vicar, one of the Wardens or the Treasurer.